GP locum jobs created a lot of variety and allow you to travel around the country visiting different practices, often experiencing a wider range of conditions making each day mroe challenging.

The day to day job of a locum GP will begin by getting to the correct surgery on time - with locum positions sometimes coming up late to cover last minute or sick leave, this can mean longer journey times so investing in a sat nav or having good local knowledge of the surgeries in your area is a must.

Once you get to the surgery - typically around 8am - where you will spend the day it's best to spend some time acclimatising to the surgery - find your way around, speak to you colleagues and learn about the idiosyncrasies of the surgery. This is especially important as each surgery could be using a completely different computer system, so speaking to your colleagues is the best way of getting some tips on how to navigate it; saving you time when you start seeing patients.

Surgeries work in different ways - sometimes patients are called into the room by a tannoy, sometimes the doctor does it themselves; some surgeries have different prescription protocols and some do minor ops/testing in house. If you know you are going to a new surgery then arranging to visit before your first day is a good way to get to grips with all of these factors to make the first day less stressful.

Speaking to your colleagues beforehand will also give you an idea of how the day runs - what times are lunch, standard breaks, is there a tea/coffee round etc. It may be that you're doing a specific clinic or a general practice surgery, so being prepared for your morning and afternoon sessions is vital.

Some patients don't like to see a locum GP and these tend to be people who have a family doctor, you're not likely to bump into these unless you're as last minute cover for a practice GP, but when you the best thing to do is be courteous and arrange for them to book another appointment if you can't help them. Some patients prefer a locum GP as they view it as another opinion, a fresh pair of eyes which might be able to add a new dimension to their health care - the best thing to do is to keep an open mind about all patients.

The days typically end around 7pm depending on the paperwork commitments and other administrative tasks that you are responsible for at the end of the day. This could include GP referral letters, prescriptions requests via an electronic portal, phone calls or even home visits to patients depending on the way the surgery runs.